finished at the last said sudden and terrible ruine of the Roman Monarchy by the destruction of Antichrist And here again observe how God all along the Beasts forty two months gave his Spiritual Power unto his two Witnesses prophesying in sackcloth those Sons of Oyl as they are called Zech. 4. to prophesy against Antichrist to consume him with the Spirit of Christ's mouth 〈◊〉 bring on the said Destruction gradually accomplished by the seve◠Angels with their seven last Plagues poured out upon him Rev. 15 16 chapters till that Destruction be accomplish'd at the seventh Trumpet and last Vial of the seventh Angel poured-out upon him about the said time fore-spoken of when Christ comes in the clouds of Heaven Dan. 7.13 14. to receive his Monarchy upon Earth spoken of likewise Rev. 1.7 when the Jews shall generally be brought home unto him as Isa 66.8 and when the iniquity of that Land shall be removed in one day Zech. 3.9 And then will the four living Wights with the twenty four Elders have that honour given to them which they were assured of to their so great exultation aforehand See Iren. pag. 32. Rev. 5.10 and whereupon all Angels and all Creatures render to Christ the glory due to him which they acknowledge there to be his deservedly saying Thou art worthy to receive Riches and Power and Wisdom and Strength and Glory and Blessing c. And then the Kingdom of the Stone will become a Mountain filling the whole Earth when there will be given to him the Son of man by his Father the Ancient of dayes Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People and Nations and Languages shall serve him and that for ever whose Dominion is an everlasting Dominion that shall not pass away as the four former Kingdoms did and his Kingdom such as shall not be destroyed as the four former were Dan. 7.14 with many other Texts in Daniels Visions as we shewed which manifest it evidently to be to the utmost extent of Dominion both of place Over the whole Earth and under the whole Heaven as was said chap. 7.15 27. and of continuance and duration for ever while the World remained and for ever and ever to eternity v. 18. when that Kingdom of the Mountain shall be perfected in the Kingdom of Glory in the highest Heavens In that visible Kingdom of Power Christ having received that Kingdom of his Father he will then give it to his Saints who shall then take it as Dan. 7.18 and manage it for him as ver 27. having the Judgment that is the authority of judging then given to them to reign with Christ a thousand years Rev. 20.4 And that it is the same Kingdom given at the same time as the series and order of the Prophecy of Daniel and of the Revelation both manifest and the same Authority of Judging in the like expressions of Ruling and Governing is in both places assigned to the Saints as followeth For first Judicandi potestas illis facta Rev. 20.4 It is said I saw Thrones and they sat upon them Dan. 7.9 So I beheld till the Thrones were pitched down and the Judgement that is the Judges were set Rev. 20. And Judgement was given to them Dan. 7.22 And Judgement was given to the Saints of the most High Rev. 20. And the Saints lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years Dan. 7. And the Saints possessed the Kingdom with Christ the Son of Man that came in the Clouds of Heaven But after the finishing of the said thousand years Reign of Christ with his Saints on Earth we are to observe what Christ in Rev. 20.7 8 9 10. further explains shall be fulfilled concerning the last wicked attempt of Satan after he shall be loosed for a little season vers 3. from his thousand years imprisonment in the bottomless pit all which time he was bound that he could not seduce the Nations until the said thousand years were ended namely that after that time was finished that he shall then seduce the last Gog and Magog the wicked Hypocrites then in the World who shall then become very numerous in the four quarters of the Earth from whence he shall tempt them to come with a joynt consent who being a wicked generation that had been forced in the thousand years unwillingly yet-outwardly did conform to the holy and good Government of the Saints successively unto whom before time they were necessitated to be subject for the said thousand years space though against their own heart yet shall think then upon Satans seducement and conduct to free themselves from their yoke by attempting to compass with their multitudes the Camp of the Saints and even attempt to besiege the beloved City too the New Jerusalem that came down from God out of Heaven even Heaven it self upon Earth where the blessed and holy raised Saints had all the thousand years before happily beheld Christs glorious Presence shining bright with light and comfort upon them the Lamb being in each respect the light of that City Rev. 21.23 Isa 60.1 expecting by such means to free themselves from that by them supposed heavy yoke of the Saints good Government that so the Kingdoms of the World might again become the Kingdoms of Satan and of themselves his Vassals Upon which abominable attempt of Satan and those by him seduced hypocrites the Vengeance of God by fire as formerly upon the Beast and false Prophet shall again fall from God out of Heaven upon them and devour them and thereupon the Devil that deceived them be cast into the lake of Fire and Brimstone where the said Beast and false Prophet were cast above a thousand years before to be perpetually there tormented with them unto which will succeed the end of the World and the general judgement when again the Judge will sit and the Books will be opened and another Book will be opened which is the Book of Life and the Dead shall be judged out of those things that shall be written in the Books according to their Works as follows Rev. 20.11 12 c. whereunto succeds Eternity of Blessedness or Misery to every Man and Woman accordingly as they stand or fall in that general Judgment And thus briefly of the main things of Christs Kingdom in its several states of the Stone and of the Mountain filling the whole earth with what respects the beginning and ending of the latter state of the Mountain namely that it begins upon the destruction of the first Gog and Magog to wit of the Turk and Pope Ezek. 38. 39. before the New Jerusalem Ezek. 40. to the end of the Book which shall be called Jehova Shamma the Lord is there and at the end of the 1000 years reign of Christ and his Saints will succeed the attempt and defeat and ruine of the last Gog and Magog of wicked hypocrites against the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City as was shewed upon which will ensue the end
other Countreys should be subdued by him yet Edom Moab and the chief of the Children of Ammon should escape his hands where multitudes of the Jews have been shattered wherein as Mr. Mede observes the Providence of God hath been in that respect remarkable That the Turk hath made composition with them that they might not prey upon the Borders of his Dominions Ver. 42 43. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the Countreys and the Land of Egypt shall not escape Ver. 43. But he shall have power over the Treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps Ver. 42 43. Though Egypt held out long against the Turks by the help of the Mamalucks yet about An. Dom. 1517. they were subdued when as is set forth in this Text the Turk having taken Tonumbeias their King captive before he put him to death he set him on the Rack to wring out of him where his Treasure lay as he did with others of the Royal Race and Royal City Memphis to get their hid Treasures as the Text speaks the Libyans and Blackmoors aiding the Turk and supplying him with necessaries in this War Ver. 44. But tydings out of the East and out of the North shall trouble him therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many Ver. 44. Those tydings out of the East appear to be of the Jews that gather together about 1290 days of years after the ceasing of their publike Sacrificing in Julian the Apostates time and his so publike setting up Heathenish Abominations making desolate who before or then were East from Judea or to the Turks whose gathering together will be to get their own Land given to their Fathers and their Seed for a possession for ever which they must enjoy to the Worlds end And out of the North appears to be the ten Tribes of Israel carried captive into Assyria North from Judea who probably at the same time joyn with their Brethren the Jews upon the like design against whom the Turk in ruinous rage will gather force to cut them off utterly Ver. 45. And he shall plant the Tabernacles of his Palace between the Seas in the glorious Holie Mountain yet he shall come to his end and none shall help him Ver. 45. He will go into Judea here again called the holy Mountain to secure himself and maintain his part but shall not thereby escape his determined ruine at the end of the 6th Trumpet or sounding of the 7th whereupon comes Christs appearance as Chap. 12.1 when both Turk and Pope will be destroyed making up the body of the great Mystical Antichrist and all Gods people freed from that Spirittual Egyptian Bondage So that Chap. 12.1 sets out the time when and the person by whom the Jews deliverance from their dispersion and bondage should be begun with the terror to come upon the World of wicked men then up and in great opposition of his Church and People both in East and West the Turk being then in the height of his rage against the converted Jews as before and the Pope about to perfect the Armageddon Battel at the end of the sixth Viol when Christ with his Armies comes to destroy him and them as Rev. 19. from v. 11 to the end and Rev. 14. towards the latter end and as in this Chapter it is shewed it shall be at the end of his time times and half a time when he shall have accomplished or finished to scatter the power of the holy people when as his time saith the same Angel of the Covenant Rev. 10. by a solemn Oath his time shall be no longer all which time Christ revealed before Rev. 12. his Church should be in a Wilderness condition for so the wore here scattered seems to imply being onely hid here and there by Gods Providence and his accomplishing of that scattering of them denotes That then they shall come out of that condition and whereas their power till then was scattered that then they should have a power to unite themselves and their enemies not to have any longer power to hold them under c. though as the Jews will first have a beginning of their Resurrection both Spiritual by Conversion and Civil from their bondage and dispersion at the end of the 1290 dayes of years v. 11. probably from Julian the Apostates time about Ann. Dom. 366 the most probable Epocha of those dayes which will not be perfected until the 1335 dayes v. 12 that is 45 years after at the standing up of Michael their Prince at his appearing So at the end of the 42 months or his time times and half a time when the last finishing Witnesses shall arise again there will be a time for the gathering of the Pope with his Antichristian Armies to the Battel of the great God Rev. 16. before he be wholly cast into the Lake of fire together with the Turk probably but all the faithful Jews shall be delivered whose names are found written in the Book of Life when will be their great and most National Conversion as Isa 66.8 Zach. 3.9 Ver. 2 3. Set forth the different condition of several sorts of Jews from their first awakening at the end of 1290 dayes to the accomplishment of their more general Call as v. 11 12. and what temporal spiritual or consequently eternal glory or disgrace will befall the several sorts amongst them according to their faithfulness in cleaving to Christ in their troubles or prevailing with their Brethren to adhere to Christs Righteousness alone against all Jewish or Heathenish Seducements wherewith probably they may be assaulted or the contrary as any shall be unfaithful or revolters being seduced in the 45 years following either by their false revolting Brethren or by the Turkish Tyranny or flattery and of such arising Ezekiel is informed Chap. 37. which is here peculiarly applied to Daniels people the Jews and to many of them not all who are turned to righteousness of Justification which God will accept which they owned not before with many other things considerable from the Text as the natural scope of it will shew Ver. 4 and 9 is the sealing of this Vision from Daniels time until the time of the end as again Daniel was further informed v. 9. Ver. 4. the latter end and v. 6 7. there seems to be two distinct Notes and Characters given of the time of the end under which was used that very same expression Chap. 11.40 namely of the Roman Emperors and Popes dayes which Daniel when he had heard saith v. 8. he understood them not whereof two Reasons seem observable from the Text First That they did not directly concern Daniels people Secondly He is again in the next particularly told They were then sealed till the said time of the end Chap. 11.40 and Chap. 12.9 The first of these Notes or Characters seems to be of the Primative
three Ribs of Babylon Media and Persia in his mouth so the Grecian much of the Persian together with its own though many Limbs and Parts remained of them after their greatest breakings as Daniel also speaketh their Lives were prolonged for a time and season chap. 17.12 So when the Roman of all others the strongest terriblest and fiercest came upon the Stage to act its part besides its own nature so rapacious and cruel it had advantage after all to make use of all the broken parts of the former Three above any before it and therefore so proudly and cruelly triumphed ever their ruinous states on all parts on East and South and North and after and above all extended its Dominions very far in the West likewise even ad toto divisos Orbe Britannos to these furthest known Brittish Islands and in those known parts of the World of Afia Africa and Europe was the spreading of the Gospel by the Apostles in so many Countreys mentioned in their Writings whose boundary shewed them to be the Roman Empire in a manner and the encouraging also afterward the profession thereof in East and West by Constantine the Great when he threw down Idolatry and set up and encouraged Christianity in all the Empire And this also is further manifest by what hath been since taken away by the Saracens and Turks after his time from those Roman Dominions besides the considerations of those many Conquests the Romans obtained till they came to the height about our Saviours life-time as in the Abridgment in part is set down whence it is manifest upon all the said considerations that the Roman Monarchy was of the largest â—â—tent of all the other and therefore by that Emperors command the whole World was said to be taxed The Roman Empire for its largeness then containing in some sort the known habitable World or which none could withstand which Daniels former expressions do eminently foreshew and even of the Pope Rev. 13. it was said the World wondered after the Beast and who is able to make war with him But when the Dragon himself sate in that seat with his seven Heads and ten Horns of Paganish Persecutions with such ample Dominions before the Popes time How much more might it have been said The whole world wondred after the Dragon and who was able to make war with him had not Christ himself in the first Seal undertaken that encounter and set him his line how far he should go and his limits of time under the sixth Seal when his term should end by casting him from his Heaven of Paganish Worship to the Earth Rev. 6. later end Sixthly And so we proceed to the last step or period of our Parallel of Daniels Prophesie and the Book of Revelations as respecting what they say jointly of the end ruine and destruction of the Roman Monarchy and first for the ruine of the Beast chap. 7.9 the Ancient of Dayes is said to have the Judgment set and that with a fiery Throne with Wheels of burning fire and to that end a stream of fire issued and came forth from before him and for the execution of the Judgment those thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him and the Books were opened and the first part of the execution and the special occasions thereof seems to be upon the provocation of the Beast ver 11. because of the great words which the Horn spake which execution is done first upon the Beast to slay him and destroy his body with the burning flame and so again ver 26. the end of the Judgment is declared to be to take away the Dominion of the Beast to consume and destroy it unto the end And Daniel then further saw ver 13. one coming in the clouds of Heaven like the Son of man the same which Rev. 1.7 is said to come with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also that pierced him with Even so Amâ—â— added shewing then that promised Mercy is then to be fulfilled to the Jews Zac. 12.10 That they shall then mourn with penitent contrition though many others with woful lamentation at that time and unto this was the glorious description of the Alpha and Omega the said Son of Man set before him who at the finishing of the things of this Book saith he comes quickly and of this coming of Christ speaks the Apostle Paul 2 Thess 1.7 When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when on the other hand he shall be admired of his Saints and glorified in all them that believe And in the next Chapter ver 3 4. he describes the man of sin against whose wickedness the Apostle shews with Daniel he will â—â—â—ially be revealed whom saith he ver 5. the Lord shall destrâ—◠〈…〉 the appearance of his coming and in like manner when that King of Kings with his Armies in the Armageddon Battel Rev. 19.11 cometh against the Beast and his Armies and then takes the Beast and the false Prophet they are both said to be cast alive into a Lake of fire and brimstone thereby describing the Hellish destruction that then will fall upon that Roman Monarchy for ever Now as the Roman Monarchy the strongest and fiercest and of much the longest continuance hath been the most wicked having attempted by abominable Idolatries Blaâ—phemies and unheard of cruelties in their persecutions so highly against Christ and his Saints in those ten most barbarous Persecutions notwithâ—anding all the light tendered in their Dominions by the Preaching of Christ himself and his Aposâ—les whom they likewise had rejected peâ—ecuted and killed for the most part and so all along the primâ—tive times buâ—ed their power to extinguish the Christian Religion until God raised up Constantine the Great to put a period to their Paganish proceedings in that â—readful manner that the wrath of the Lamb as it is said was executed upon them that is for the terribleness of it resembled to the day of Judgment as is largely set down under the sixth Seal Rev. 6. latter end But when upon the taking away of the Successions of those Heathenish Persecutors the afterwards Apostatical Church of Rome did become Antichristian though the extent of their power hath been lessened yet their wickedness so far as they then could reach hath been many wayes greater and more notorious and that for a longer time after their former owning of the Truth and again revolting from it and even perverting it to their own and others ruine in such a mysterious contrived Hellish Apostasie by such Artifice of bloody cruelty and wickedness so monstrously executed above their Paganish Predecessors so many hundred years together by their long holding out the Cup
miracles And they not only do not own their Doctrine and not help to promote it but lay hold upon them and imprison them for preaching of it and this did not only befal them amongst the Jews at Jerusalem but in all places were they were sent as the Story of the Acts of the Apostles and other Writers of the Primitive times manifest Again The succeeding Primitive Christians both Teachers and Professors of the Gospel of Christ were not only not owned and encouraged by the Potentates and great men of the world But the great Red Dragon had gotten such strong possession of the highest seat of worldly Authority in the Roman Empire at the height of it having so mightily engaged them for all sorts of Heathenish Idolatry and to decline their imbracing of Christianity after such abundant conviction of the Divine Excellency of Christ Jesus the Son of God that in most places under that then most soveraign earthly Authority the Officers and Magistrates were engaged or encouraged to root out Christianity if it might be out of the world and how for the most part they acted to that purpose was so evident that as an Ancient records it was then observed that there was no day in the year whereupon five thousand Martyrs had not suffered save one in the Calends of February and what large Volumns have been written of the cruel and merciless deaths and martyrdoms of those primitive Christians wherein they were forced to undergo those strange devised tortures and torments besides all lesser sufferings may abundantly appear to those that are observantly conversant in them and even then by a Divine Power going along with this persecuted Gospel in the Preachers and Professors thereof as with the Israelites under Pharoah's Taskmasters the more they oppressed them the more they multiplied so those showeâ—â— of blood of the Saints made the Gospel to grow more fertily and as was observed by the Ancients Sanguis Martyrum Semen Ecclesiae the Blood of the Martyrs was the Seed of the Church And this continued all along the Primitive times in the ten much noted Persecutions besides less noted ones which were like not to be a few wherein as by so many grievous and sore pangs and throws of the Woman the Church then with child through mercy by the faith and prayers of God's People till she brought forth that Man-child Constantine the Great under the fixth Seal Rev. 6. who threw down the Dragon with his heathenish Idolatry from the Throne with his Sun Moon and Stars about him of his worldly powers that had so long persecuted the Saints in their successions before And this was done by the Divine Power of God's Spirit converting that famous Emperour encouraging him against the Heathenish Opposers and prospering his proceedings to a wonderful subversion of those powers of darkness which for the terribleness of their downfal the Spirit of God decyphers much like a day of Judgment in regard of the execution thereof Rev. 6. latter end which though it was said to be from the Wrath of the Lamb yet there is no sitting of Judgment nor opening of Books which will be at Antichrist's ruine when the day of Judgment will begin and as will be at the last ruine of Gog and Magog Rev. 20. when the last accomplishment of the Judgment follows upon it at the end of the world Yet this seems to be the great undertaking of Christ to conquer his Enemies in the first Seal whose right hand should then teuch him terrible things Psal 45.4 5. whilst as is there expressed he rides on in his Majesty prosperously because of the Word of Truth Meekness and Righteousness for the first three hundred years till Constantines Reign by whom the Empire of Heathenish became Christian having cast off the Dragons Worship and Religion and owned and received Christ's Religion And this appears to be one eminent purpose of God the Father's giving of the Book to the Lamb that as it had been slain Rev. 5.6 but was alive again to open the Seals thereof and under the sixth Seal was 〈…〉 Commâ—â—â—on contained to execute this terrible Wrath upon those Paganish Powers which was the Stones eminent smiting of the feet and toes of the Imrge at that time as Dan. 2.34 and elsewhere to like purpose as was shewed And from thenceforward Christ the said Lamb as it had been slain had further in Commission both by reason of the wicked Apostacy of Church and State in sucâ—â—eding times and to revenge the cruel bloodshed and persecutions of the Saints with blasphemies and other wickednesse of that Roman Empire before when Paganish and after likewise when it would be poysoned with Heresie and again apostatized by Popery so that suitably thereunto he should bring down again the power of Satan and wicked men in their several orders and places as appears by the 7th Seal opened by him Rev. 8. wherein he was accordingly to reveal and execute God's further Wrath by his seven Angels with their seven Trumpets in the four first of them blowing out chiefly that Wrath and Judgment upon the Western Empire for the most part to take away him that letted there the revealing of the Man of Sin in the Western Empire as 2 Thess 2.7 that Antichrist might appear And the two following Wo-Trumpets to reveal and execute like Judgements upon the Eastern Empire Rev. 9. which since hath almost been fulfilled upon it by the Sarazens and Turks to this very day And afterwards by the sounding of the seventh Trumpet to destroy on the sudden all the wicked powers of Men and Devils from off the face of the Earth at the Son of Man's coming in the clouds and receiving his visible Kingdom on Earth from his Father over all Nations People and Languages Dan. 7.14 And the Kingdom and the Dominion and greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heavens v. 27. And then at once breaking in pieces the Iron and the Clay and therewith the Silver and the Gold and Brass and making the whole Image of the four Monarchies that is the broken parts of the three former with all that remained of the last Roman Monarchy viz. the last and lowest parts thereof the feet and toes partly of Iron and partly of Clay to become as the chaff of the Summer-threshing-floor Dan. 2.35 when the wind of that last wrath from that third Wo-Trumpet of the 7th Ange will carry them all away as was shewed before from Dan. 2. Dan. 7. Dan. 12. and as may be observed from those parallel places Rev. 16. toward the end Rev. 19.11 to the end Rev. 11.18 which agree with the Son of man's coming in the clouds and when Michael shall stand up for Daniels People and when Antichrist shall have finished his time times and a half to scatter the power of the holy People then all these things shall be finished Dan. 12.7 though it is made evident to Daniel that his People should have 〈…〉 troubles before all would be